Moana: Queen of Lalotai
by TRikiD
Summary: After countless generations of feuding over land and recourses, the leaders of monsters and humans have finally decided enough is enough. But if Moana is going to convince Tamatoa to make peace, she will have to offer him the greatest treasure she can give: Her hand in matrimony.


Moana: Queen of Lalotai

Chapter 1 - Moana's Plan

Eight long years have passed since Moana and Maui restored Te Fiti's heart and defeated the darkness, saving all life itself and bringing peace to the other islands.

But most islands have been uncharted ever since the people of Motunui stopped voyaging generations ago; luckily, though, they retrieved their old boats and set out once more because of Moana.

But when Moana's father, Tui, died of an unknown disease, she had no choice but to take his place as Chief of Motunui and miss most journeys afterwards.

One trek of which was soon to begin, and it was to search for and retrieve a cure for a new disease that had claimed Moana's father. Little did the sailors that set out know that, even with the darkness of Te Ka gone, terror was still lurking within the ocean.

The day started out nice and clear, perfect for sailing, but the waves were restless nonetheless. It was nothing they couldn't handle, and they kept calm, even when Motunui eventually disappeared over the horizon.

But out of nowhere, something large bumped the captain's boat, nearly capsizing it and instantly alerting everyone on board.

"Captain?" a crew member asked fearfully.

"Just hold your ground and keep her steady. It's just a wave, or maybe even a whale," the captain replied firmly.

But as if to jinx him, a monstrous creature with ebony scaly skin leapt out of the water, crushing the larger ship in the blink of an eye. Most of the sailors on the ship swam to the surface before they drowned, but they didn't have enough time to react before the monster breached again and swallowed them all whole.

Another grand ship was lost, and more innocent lives were taken.

* * *

Over the years, Moana had grown into a fine young woman and protected her tribe with grace and dignity, like a true ruler should; though, something was always missing in Moana's heart. Long before Tui fell ill, Maui reluctantly said goodbye and set off to earn the respect of everyone around the world, but he promised he would return.

She was still able to lead her people, even without her best friend. But she would never expect that such a peaceful day would take a turn for the worst. Moana had awoken early one morning to help the elderly women with basket weaving, especially considering the larger amount of baskets they've had to make for the fish migration.

But the peace was soon interrupted with a commotion down at the beach caught everyone's attention, and Moana didn't hesitate to figure out what the problem was.

"What's going on?" Moana called as she ran out onto to the sand, but she gasped when she saw only a few boats had returned, and all passengers were visibly shaken.

"Chief, i-it's happened again," a crew member shakily informed.

"It was this hideous monster in the shape of a demonic whale, and it came out of nowhere!" another exclaimed in fear, confirming Moana's theory.

She knew that there could only be one creature cruel enough to lead these attacks, and she also knew that it had to stop sooner than later. But convincing the King of Monsters to make peace wasn't going to be easy, even for a chief; so, after calming her people, Moana led a team of the tribe's strongest sailors out to the island that housed the entrance to Lalotai.

She had not been to this island since she went with Maui to retrieve his hook, and it seemed even more unsettling than she remembered, especially since night had fallen and a quiet eeriness.

It wasn't easy, but falling down the topmost entrance to Lalotai luckily didn't kill or critically injure anyone when they landed. And even though Moana was more concerned about the lives of the brave souls she brought with her than her own, she knew that there was another important factor that needed to make the trip in order for her plan to work.

"Are the fish baskets ok?" Moana asked firmly.

"Yes, Chief. Not a single fish was lost on the way down," a warrior quickly replied.

"Good. Follow me and stay close."

The stronger men carried the numerous large baskets of fresh fish through the vibrant yet scary caves of Lalotai, as Moana carefully led them through and avoided all threats. Soon enough, they came upon a cave made of gigantic, shiny shells and coral, to which Moana instantly recognized.

She signaled for the men to wait and peered inside, but she never saw a giant pile of gold and treasure like she expected.

"Wait right here and wait for my signal. If anything attacks, then come get me," Moana instructed with a whisper, as the warriors nodded in confirmation.

Knowing there was no other way to do this than by herself, Moana took a deep breath in and out and put on a straight face, walking into to well-lit cave and glanced around for her objective. But before she could take in her entire surroundings, something suddenly blocked out the moonlight from above, ceasing the reflection off the bright treasure littered about the cave and replacing all light with pitch blackness.

A sinister combination of a hiss and a croak echoed around the cave, making shivers run down Moana's back as she began to panic. But she told herself to keep it cool, and glared into the darkness, "I know you're there."

"Come back to taunt me about your escape, have you?" A loud and snarky voice asked. It was Tamatoa. The said giant crab didn't hesitate to light up his skin with vibrant blue and pink colors, as he emerged from the darkness and grinned down at Moana.

"Oh, look how big you've gotten. More meat on those bones for me to enjoy," Tamatoa taunted while licking his lips.

"That's not happening. You know why I'm here, Tamatoa," Moana spoke boldly.

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do! You're the one leading those attacks on my people, and they needs to stop, _now_!"

Tamatoa hissed again, his grin disappearing as he carefully grabbed Moana and lifted her to his face, "You should know that we attack you because we have to. You greedy humans hog all the recourses and treasure to yourselves. In fact, if it weren't for you humans, we wouldn't be forced to live down here."

"And that's exactly why I'm here." Tamatoa quirked a brow in interest, slightly loosening his grip on Moana's torso. "I've come to offer you a deal, one that will put all of this nasty fighting between our subjects behind both of us."

Intrigued, Tamatoa grinned and set Moana down, tossing a large coin upwards to remove the cover and allow the moonlight to seep back in.

"And what could you possibly offer that will satisfy my needs?" Tamatoa growled.

Moana's answer seemed almost too quick, "My hand in marriage."

The giant coconut crab was utterly shocked. This mortal human being just proposed to him, a giant monster who has killed her own people numerous times before. And for what? The sake of saving both her people _and_ all monsters from war?

"I'm still a little water logged from my last fish dinner. Did I miss something, or did you forget that I've tried to kill you?" Tamatoa asked with a sneer and shake of his head.

"Yes, and it will be nearly impossible to forgive you for all your crimes, but I'm willing to look past it all—only if you are, too," Moana explained firmly, but her tone softened at the last part while she placed a reassuring hand on Tamatoa's claw. But the said glittery crustacean instantly pulled away in disgust.

"There are so many things wrong with this union. You're an insignificant, little human, and I'm-."

"A monstrous crab, I know. Can we please keep the sticky subject of racism out of this?" Moana cut him off with a wave of her hand.

Tamatoa was taken aback by her firmness, but stood his ground, "Fine. But what's stopping me from killing you right now and ending the rest of your people?"

"You will benefit greatly if you marry me, Tamatoa. We will share our land, our food, anything you need, with you and your subjects—and we can save lives."

"And you—you'll do anything I say?"

"Only if you do as I say. This needs to be an equal compromise, not barbaric or romantic."

Tamatoa huffed and crossed his claws, "Agreed. I seek to have no real feelings towards you."

"And vice versa," Moana added and then signaled the men outside, "And to show our loyalty, we brought you a peace offering."

The large baskets of fish were then brought in, each set before Tamatoa and opened for him to marvel in hunger at the fresh meat. And although he didn't want to admit it, Tamatoa was pleased.

"Oh, how thoughtful," the giant crab hummed, "Tell you what. I'll think about it, and I'll have an answer to you in about two week's time."

"We can't wait that long. What if more monsters attack?" Moana questioned.

"Either you be patient with me so that this war will end, or I send even more of my subjects to finish off the rest of you," Tamatoa hissed, poking Moana's chest with a claw to emphasize his point, "Leave me."

Not wanting to upset Tamatoa, Moana and her men wasted no time in leaving the aggravated crab and beginning their journey back to the surface.

"Chief?" a man asked quietly once the others were far enough behind, "No offense, but are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I have nothing else to offer him," Moana replied with a sigh, "If this plan doesn't work, then nothing will ever get through his armor."

* * *

 **Thought I'd try something a little new, at least, as far as I'm concerned. If you're a MoanaxTamatoa shipper, too, lemme know.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD , bye-bye!**


End file.
